


A Knight And His Prince

by VJuniorVasquez



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: It's A Medieval AU!, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23332063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VJuniorVasquez/pseuds/VJuniorVasquez
Summary: Once upon a time, in the distant realm of Kantolot, a young boy named Gou decided to devote his life to the Prince of the Land, Ash. There were many hardships in his path, many challenges he had to face to reach his destiny.This tale is about just a few of them…
Relationships: Gou/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Comments: 4
Kudos: 73





	A Knight And His Prince

**Author's Note:**

  * For [frysfan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frysfan/gifts).



> Happy birthday frysfan!  
> This is not exactly what you wanted, I know, but I hope it's good enough!  
> Enjoy everyone!

Once upon a time, in the distant realm of Kantolot, a young boy named Gou decided to devote his life to the Prince of the Land, Ash. There were many hardships in his path, many challenges he had to face to reach his destiny.

This tale is about just a few of them…

So this was his life now. Since he started his training, Gou thought he could be something else, not only a knight, he could be better, faster, and stronger than everyone else.

He could be a _knightmaster_ , assuming such thing existed in the first place, so he started to train, he was pretty good with the sword, but only one weapon wasn’t enough for him.

Over the years, he wielded axes, hammers, spears…

And it came to a point when weapons themselves weren’t enough, so he took a step forward. He visited the druids of the forest, every Saturday, for at least three years, to learn their secrets.

But, why was he doing all of that? What was the reason to keep learning, and fighting, and pushing himself over his own limits with each passing day?

Oh, right

He was trying to impress _Him_.

The last heir of the Ketchum dynasty, the future ruler of the Kantolot empire, the always excited and optimistic, prince Ash Ketchum.

The first time Gou saw Ash, he was fifteen years old, the future king was casually strolling around the gardens and Gou made a bow as soon as he walked by his side.

“My Prince” he said, his voice distorted by the helmet he was wearing “I hope you are enjoying the evening”

“I am, dear soldier”

Gou didn’t expect such a response, he remembered the lesson he learned in the first day of his training and replied

“You do not need to pay any respects to me, My Prince. I am just a servant”

“You are more than just that” Ash replied “Take out your helmet”

“I am sorry, My Prince. I should not do that in your presence”

“You should obey me too, right?”

“Correct, My Prince”

“Take out your helmet, then”

Gou did that and the prince stayed in front of him, with his eyes fixed in his hair, embarrassed, the knight said:

“I will cut down in a few days, My Prince, I pro…”

“Leave it like that, it suits you” the prince interrupted, brushing his hair and Gou blushed “What is your name, knight?”

“Gou”

Prince Ash let out a laugh, and for some reason Gou considered that it was one of the most beautiful sounds he ever heard. He bowed again and commented:

“It is not a common name, I know, but…”

“You think I was laughing at your name, knight?”

Gou nodded

“Of course not!” Ash shouted “Your name is your identity; I will never laugh at the identity of one of my knights, I was merely amused by the fact that your mind slipped back there for a second”

“I do not understand, My Prince”

“When you told me your name, you forgot to say ‘My Prince’” Ash replied, smiling again

Gou bowed down once more

“I am sorry, My Prince, It will not…”

“I will let it pass this time, knight, do not worry”

The prince was about to add something else, when another one of his servants announced that his presence was required in the main hall. He smiled again and ran away, not before shouting:

“A pleasure to meet you, Gou!”

The boy simply stood there, watching him going away…

As soon as the advanced training started, Gou stopped seeing his Prince, his constant visits to the garden were replaced by the shouts, the pressure, the beatings of his superiors. The young boy accepted all of that and more, thinking each and every day that, if he was strong enough, then maybe he could see Ash’s face again.

He wasn’t going to tell this to anyone: But he had fallen for the young monarch, just a few seconds of looking directly at him, and a few words that escaped from his lips were enough to make his heart beat faster than ever before.

That’s why he made an extra effort. To pass every test, to overcome every difficulty in his path, in a word: to survive, just to see Ash once more.

The time finally came, Gou and a few other lucky soldiers formed a squad, and the boy was sure that his aptitudes were more than enough to make him the leader.

Sadly, that didn’t happen, the day came, and the Prince presented himself in front of the squad. He looked directly at the leader’s eyes, and bowed to him.

“My life is in your hands, yours and every one of your knights” he said

Gou cursed under his breath, oh, how he wished the Prince would say those sweet words to him.

“Thank you, My Prince” the leader said

Ash looked at him for a long time (an extremely long time, much to Gou’s dislike) and nodded with a smile

And Gou hated his captain even more

A few months later, Gou and the rest of his squad were standing in front of the Prince once again, ready for an upcoming journey

“Why are you like that?”

“Excuse me, My Prince” the head of the squad asked “Like what?”

“You are standing still, unmoving, unflinching!”

“We are ready for the mission, My Prince!”

“But how can you be ready if you are so still? Your bodies are so tense, that cannot be good for your health, relax a little!”

Ash inspected the troops, shaking his head. Suddenly, he stopped right in front of Gou.

“You are tenser than everyone else!” he complained “I will insist, relax a little, crack a smile, tell some jokes”

Gou raised an eyebrow

“You do not know any jokes, knight?” Ash asked

“I do not, My Prince” Gou replied

“Fine, what about this one: Do you know what is the name of the knight who is always sure of himself?”

“I do not know, My Prince”

“Sir tainly, of course!”

A few knights laughed, other ones looked around, confused by the behavior of the Prince, but Ash remained in front of Gou, who didn’t laugh.

“Oh come on, give me a smile, knight!” the Prince insisted, lightly touching Gou’s cheek

The boy smiled, and a faint blush appeared in his face

“That is more like it!” Ash said, clapping “Now you are ready to face any peril in your journey!”

The knight stood in front of the Prince, admiring him

The mission was, as expected, a success. The squad came back to the realm with a treasure, a mythical creature and plenty of stories to tell. Gou expected with happiness the moment in which the prince would admire his valiant efforts.

But that moment never came.

“The Prince is not in the mood for your stories” one of the main servants said, and Gou’s heart fell to the ground.

Despite his cheerful ways, the Prince had a defect: Every once in a while, he was so bored out of his mind, that he called all of the knights under his service, one by one, and made them entertain him in his chamber.

Once he was bored of one, he called the next one.

Gou knew this, but he was so captivated by the prince, that he tried to make sure to never bore him with his presence, that was another reason why he acquired so many talents over the last few months.

“My Prince” he said, kneeling down in front of Ash “I have something that may pick your interest”

“I like your confidence, knight. Move ahead, please”

For all response, Gou focused as much mystical energy as he could in the tip of his fingers and shouted:

“Orbi!”

A ball of light appeared in front of the knight, and the boy stepped right through it, the spell held for a few seconds, trapping him inside the ball, until it exploded into a million sparks, showering the boy and his Prince with a bunch of multicolor dots.

“You look beautiful, knight” the Prince said without moving from his seat, and Gou gulped

“It is a nice spell, My Prince, yes” Gou admitted

“I was not talking about the spell, knight” Ash insisted, and laughed as soon as he saw the blush on Gou’s face. The boy stood unmoving, unable to know what to do next

“If that is all, then you can retire, knight” Ash claimed

Gou did exactly that, surprised by the fact that the Prince didn’t shouted at him, like he did with the rest of his knights.

A few weeks later, Gou presented in front of the Prince again:

“Welcome back, knight” Ash said “What do you have for me today?”

“Fulmen!” Gou shouted with excitement

In a moment, a multitude of lightning flashes escaped from his hands, illuminating the room. He smiled at his Prince, but Ash simply yawned, so he tried with a different tactic

“Colore!”

The lightning changed its color, and Ash raised an eyebrow, seeing how some lines of yellow, red and blue passed behind and in front of him, but that wasn’t the end

“Hippurus!”

Suddenly, the lights returned to Gou, and then escaped from his hands again, this time transformed into a school of fishes, the Prince tried to touch one, and the image dissolved between his fingers. He spent several minutes chasing the fishes, amazed by the knight’s ability to maintain the spell.

“Astounding” he said, turning around

But something was terribly wrong. Gou couldn’t hold the spell and the fishes disappeared all at once, at the same time, he fell to the ground. Ash rushed to his side and held his head

“What happened?”

“I am just a little bit tired, that is all, My Prince”

Ash frowned

“The spell, it was too much for you, right?”

Gou didn’t answer, Ash called his personal medics as soon as he could, and watched his knight being carried away out of the room…

When Gou opened his eyes, Ash was standing at the feet of his bed

“Where I am, My…?”

“You are in my chambers, and please, stop calling me My Prince”

Gou got out from the bed as quickly as he could

“Rest!” the Prince demanded, but the knight denied with his head

“I should not be here, defiling your resting place, please My Prince, forgive me”

Ash put a hand on Gou’s left shoulder and repeated:

“Stop calling me that, now obey me and rest”

Gou went back to the bed and Ash looked at him disapprovingly

“You used too much magic, why?”

“I was testing my limits, My…”

“Be careful with the word you are going to use next” Ash warned

“My Lord”

“No, try again”

“My Liege”

“Still too formal”

“My Majesty”

Ash threw his hands in the air, visibly exasperated

“Be sincere, knight! You are smart, you know your way with words in the same way you know your sword, pick a word you are comfortable with, make an effort!”

“I am feeling comfortable calling you My Prince” Gou argued

“Well, I am not, so try again” Ash insisted “There is a passion, a _desire_ in you, embrace that feeling, and address me in the right way”

Gou raised an eyebrow, seemingly catching a hidden message

“I am sorry, My… Sire?”

“Now that is more of my liking, so I will repeat my original demand: Why did you use so much magic back there?”

“I was trying to impress you, My Sire”

Ash remained silent, studying Gou with curiosity. After a few seconds, he decided the boy wasn’t lying.

“Why would you risk your life in such a way, just to impress me?”

Gou looked away, embarrassed

“Because I think you are worth of my efforts, My Sire”

“That is not a good reason, My Knight” the Prince said, sitting closer to Gou and taking his hand between the covers, the boy blushed at the contact, but his heart leaped as soon as he heard his Prince calling him ‘His Knight’

“Life is such a precious gift” Ash continued “do not waste it trying to impressing me”

“I do not deserve your attention, neither your touch, My Sire” Gou replied, letting go of Ash’s hand

The Prince got up and made a bow

“Rest now, My Knight, we will talk about these matters some other time”

He made his way towards the door and stopped there for a second, without turning around, he admitted:

“Do not tell anyone else this secret, but… You are My Favorite Knight, Gou”

“You remember my name, My Sire?”

“Of course I do” Ash said, leaving the room

After a few days, Gou was fully recovered, he was saddened by the fact that Ash didn’t visit him again, but the Prince would surely have other compromises to attend.

Still, he never rested so well in his entire life, the Prince’s bed was really comfortable, and he wasn’t embarrassed to admit he sniffed the covers more than once, trying to imagine how it would feel to have his Prince resting against his own body.

Eventually, Gou left the chamber, he exited the room and directed towards the Main Hall, when he was about to get out, a well-known voice interrupted his pace:

“I believe you owe me some gratitude, My Knight”

Gou turned around. Ash was resting against the wall, smiling at him. The knight put a knee on the ground and lowered his head, but Ash rushed to his side and kneeled in front of him, touching his chin and forcing him to look at his face.

“Not like that, My Knight”

Gou tried to ignore the fact that the Prince’s lips and his own were very close to each other, and asked with a slight tremor in his voice:

“How would you like me to thank you, My Sire?”

“That is up to you, My Knight. Put your heart into it, and meet me here again in twenty-four hours”

“I will not disappoint you, My Sire”

The Prince kissed Gou’s left cheek for two seconds. When he separated, he whispered directly at his ear:

“I am sure of that… My Knight”

Gou nodded and quickly got up, exiting the room and running away. As soon as he was sure he was out of the hearing range of any human being, he let out a scream of joy.

The very next day, Gou entered Ash’s room. The Prince smiled at him and said:

“I hope you prepared something that does not involve magic”

“Indeed” Gou replied, showing the prince a lute, he started to play the instrument softly, and Ash became enchanted by the music coming from the strings almost immediately

As always, Gou had another trick up his sleeve, so he started to sing:

_My Sire may I have this dance  
Forgive a knight who knows no shame  
My Sire may I have this dance  
And Sire may I have your name_

“Impressive” the prince commented, without moving from his seat.

However, his eyes were fixed on Gou’s features: His delicate fingers moving across the lute, his chest moving up and down with each passing breath, his lips barely opening to sing another verse:

_You danced upon a soldier's arm  
And I felt the blade of love so keen  
And when you smiled you did me harm  
And I was drawn to you, my Prince_

“Is that true?” Ash dared to ask, breaking the atmosphere for a second

Without stopping, Gou replied:

“Of course it is, I am not only drawn to you, I am…”

The prince got up, interrupting him:

“Leave the explanations for later, My Knight. For now, keep singing”

Gou nodded, and continued:

_Now these boots may take me where they will  
Though they may never shine like his  
There is no knight I would not kill  
To have my Sire’s hand to kiss_

“I detect a hint of jealousy, My Knight”

Gou remained silent, still playing the lute

“Who is the cause, if I may ask?”

“My captain” Gou confessed

The prince laughed. Gou loved that sound so much that he stopped playing. Ash looked at him, raising an eyebrow, but smiling.

Gou focused and started to play again

“Do not care about that weakling, My Knight”

“I have seen the way you look at him, My Sire”

Ash approached Gou and touched his shoulder. Gou made an extra effort to keep playing

“Then you have not seen the way I stare at you, My Knight. Now keep going, please”

_Yes and they did take me through the hall  
To leave me not one breath from you  
And they fell silent one and all  
And you could see my heart was true_

“You do not seem like the type of knight that would kill other human being just like that”

“For you, My Sire” Gou confessed “I would kill a Battalion”

“Careful, My Knight” Ash warned “I lose control of myself when my heart races too much”

Gou smiled and kept singing

_Then I did lead you from the hall  
And we did ride upon the hill  
Away beyond the city wall  
And sure you are my Sire still_

“Are you planning to kidnap me, My Knight?”

“Such thought would never cross my head, My Sire”

The prince chuckled at his knight’s comment and replied:

“Shame…”

“Shame?” Gou asked, astonished

“Shame” the prince repeated, motioning his knight to finish the song

_A night in summer long ago  
The stars were falling from the sky  
And still, my heart, I have to know  
Why do you love me, Sire, why?_

“I hope the song was of your liking, My Sire” Gou completed

For all response, the prince threw at Gou’s arms, furiously brushing his hair, and not wasting a second to kiss him, as hard and deep as he could. Gou melted at the sensation, and as soon as their lips separated, Ash made sure to leave a kiss in every inch of his knight’s face.

“My Sire, I do not have words to express how I feel right now”

“Excited” Ash replied, and Gou denied with his head

“Maybe, but still… Doing this with you, My Sire… I am your guardian, your protector; we are not supposed to do this”

“I want to do this, Gou” Ash insisted “With you and with no one else”

“But I am a regular knight… Simply just another knight in a long line of knights dedicated to preserve your life, My Sire”

“You are not another knight! You are _My_ Knight Gou!”

Gou stopped, and Ash kissed him again

“Do you understand it now, My Knight?” the prince asked

Gou nodded and kissed Ash back, they stayed like that for a few seconds, until the prince separated, resting his head on Gou’s right shoulder and drawing circles in his hair.

“I would like to spend some more time with you… Gou” the prince confessed

“I am sure we can spend some more time together, under the right circumstances and if fortune is on our side, My Sire”

“Or if I appoint you as my personal Squire”

Gou froze for a moment and blinked, unsure if he heard right

“You would do that?”

“If that assures me I could kiss your face each and every day, then without a question I would”

Gou blushed furiously, and his heart melted once more as soon as he heard His Prince laughing

Not even one day later, Gou was appointed as Prince’s Ash new Squire.

A few weeks after that moment, Gou woke up one morning and froze as soon as he saw his Prince lying in his bed, just a few centimeters away from him

“Good morning, My Knight”

“I am supposed to be your Squire, My Sire” Gou corrected

“You will always be My Knight, and besides, we are alone now, you can drop the formalities”

“Good morning, Ash” Gou said, caressing the boy’s cheeks and planting a quick kiss on his lips

“Get ready”

“What for?”

“Special mission, the first one as my Squire!”

According to the Prince, there was a cave beyond the Diamond Mountains that was the home of one of the most powerful creatures that ever existed, he always intended to take a look in that area, but he never felt safe enough to do it

“Not until I met My Knight, of course” he added in front of the rest of the group, much to Gou’s embarrassment

The other members of the squad were a witch, an alchemist and a sage.

“Why would you need a sage to catch a mystical creature?” Gou pondered

“For a very logical reason” the Sage responded

After a few seconds of silence, Gou asked Ash:

“Is he going to explain it to us or…?”

“He is always saying that thing, but he never explains why” Ash commented, shrugging

The witch was a women of very few words, and Gou could swore there was something between her and the alchemist. This last one member of the group was very shy (and he was scared of pretty much everything around him), so Gou decided that chatting with them would not be a very good idea.

The group began the journey through the forest, Gou walked in the front, brandishing his sword and cutting vines left and right, Ash walked as close to him as he could, admiring his bravery and strength.

After a few minutes, Gou noticed the prince staring at him. He stopped and asked:

“You want to try my sword, My Sire?”

“I would rather try something else” the monarch replied, hugging his back and kissing him deeply.

Gou quickly broke the kiss, pointing at the trio accompanying them

“Oh, do not worry about them, My Knight” Ash said, dismissing them “If they dare to say a word about this, I will simply cut off their heads”

The trio gulped at the threat and when the prince looked at them, they looked away

“In that case, My Sire” Gou asked “Would you like to take my hand for the rest of the journey?”

“I would like that very much, My Knight” Ash replied “But how would you cut the vines with my arm wrapped around yours?”

“Just watch my dexterity, My Sire” Gou exclaimed switching the sword to his left hand, proud of himself

A few hours later, the group stopped at a clearing. The witch pointed at the ground beyond them, a large pile of bones were scattered in the ground, and Gou wasn’t sure if they belonged to animals or humans.

Suddenly, a howl pierced the skies, and everyone took a step behind, the alchemist commented the temperature was rising, an indubitable sign that they were very close to their destiny.

“You never said which creature we are trying to hunt, My Sire” Gou realized

“A dragon” Ash whispered, and Gou’s blood ran cold

The five heroes kept walking, and when the temperature kept rising, they ran to a giant rock in the middle of the road. They stayed there for a few seconds, and Gou wasn’t sure if he should take a look to try to spot the dragon.

Once he did it, he stayed there for a few seconds, marvelous by the creature’s appearance.

The dragon was sleeping, so that was an advantage. It had light orange skin, a round snot with small nostrils and a pair of long antennas coming out of his head. Its chest was cream-colored, divided by several lines all the way to the tip of its tail, and its wings were definitely too little to make him capable of flying in any way.

“It is reasonable that I should try to make contact with the creature first” the Sage said, interrupting Gou’s thoughts

“Why?” the boy asked

“Because this creature is a wild one, and the only way to deal with such a monster is through a meticulous, well-planned strategy, most logically, I am the one who can provide such a solution”

Without waiting another second, the Sage ran around the rock, facing the dragon.

“Hear me, hear me, majestic creature!”

The dragon got up, amused by the presence

“I have come here to have a debate with you, on the matters of nature, philosophy and…”

The dragon opened his mouth, seemingly yawning

And then blew the Sage to smithereens with its powerful flames

“Sages, useless as always” the alchemist commented, facing the dragon and throwing a vial to its feet

The vial quickly transformed into a pond, and the dragon started to sink into it

“There is no escape!” the alchemist shouted “The only way would be…”

The dragon interrupted his celebration, flying up and proving despite its little wings, it was a fast creature

“Can I ask for your forgiveness?” the alchemist inquired

The dragon denied with his head, scorching the man

The witch stepped forward next, conjuring her most powerful spell:

“Ex viribus naturae meum et vocavi te!”

A large group of vines came out of the ground, trapping the dragon, and holding him tightly. The creature huffed, annoyed by the human woman.

“It is a fire-breathing dragon!” the prince shouted

“And I am a forest witch! This is all I can do!” the witch replied, before being consumed by the dragon’s flames

“We have to run!” The prince said, clutching to his knight’s arm

“No, My Sire. We have to stand, and fight!” Gou replied

“Have you lost your mind, My Knight? How can you plan to defeat the beast with just your sword?”

The dragon stayed in the air for a second, looking with confusion at the couple

“I will not be using my sword, My Sire” Gou replied, throwing the object at his feet and closing his eyes

“No” the Prince pleaded “Do not try to…”

“It is my duty to protect you, My Sire. Orbi!” Gou shouted

A gigantic ball of light appeared in front of the couple, shielding them from the powerful flames of the dragon. The knight fixed his eyes in the creature, trapping him inside the sphere.

Gou tumbled around for a moment, and Ash hugged him from behind

“I am here, My Knight”

“Thank you, My Sire” Gou replied, directing his gaze towards the dragon, he put all of his heart and soul in the task at hand, and finally, after a few seconds, the sphere started to shrink down, reaching the size of an apple, a faint “click” could be heard, and Gou fell to the ground, exhausted

“It is done, My Sire” he whispered, closing his eyes

Ash stayed behind him, offering his knees as a pillow for his head Gou gladly accept them and stayed there for a few seconds

“Do not ever do that again, My Knight” Ash chastised him

“If you say so, My Sire”

“My heart is filled with sorrow at saying this, but still, I must remind you we are alone now”

“Thank you… Ash”

The prince nodded, but the knight said something else:

“I love you”

“You have never said those words to me before” Ash exclaimed

“It is the truth, Ash” Gou insisted “I love you”

“I love you too, Gou” the prince replied, kissing his knight

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Damn it!” Renji exclaimed with rage, throwing his twenty-side dice away “I was so close to catch the Dragonite this time!”

Kikuna laughed

“You weren’t close at all” she admitted “None of us could, except for Gou”

“Nice touch on adding a side mission for the new member of our group, Dungeon Master” Sakuragi said directly to Ash

The boy scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.

“I thought Gou would like to be the center of attention in his first mission”

The mentioned boy looked away, but he wasn’t fooling anyone: The three adults noticed how he took his boyfriend’s hand below the table.

“Best D&D game in quite a while” Renji commented

“Playing by the book was getting tiring” Sakuragi said “I’m glad you came up with this story, Ash, even if I had to be the Sage again”

“A knight falling in love with a prince? How romantic!” Kikuna added “Where did you get the idea? It was so well planned!”

The boy from Pallet Town would never confess to anyone (except Gou) that his idea came from seeing an Alternate Universe in the Reflection Cave in Kalos.

Another time and another place where he and Gou were destined to be together…

**Author's Note:**

> The song at the end is "A Night In Summer Long Ago" by Mark Knopfler, and yes, I know it's about the romance between a knight and his queen, but hey, poetic licenses exists for a reason!  
> Well, how was it, readers? Any comments or suggestions?  
> I'll see you next time with a...  
> Not really sure with what, we'll see ;)


End file.
